Anthony Bourdain visits the ghosts of Christmas future and present, and has a special message for the Anthony of the past. Celebrity chef Alex Guarnaschelli digs deep into family holiday triumphs and tumult with her mother, the legendary cookbook editor, Maria Guarnaschelli. Top Chef's Gail Simmons reveals which animal part prompts her Madeleine Moment and invites Eden Grinshpan home to discuss why Hanukkah and Chinese food go hand in hand. Howie Kahn goes to the dinner party of the year with fashion designer Lela Rose, chef Massimo Bottura and Edible Schoolyard NYC and then we head south as one correspondent decides to go home for the holidays for the first time in years in an attempt to outcook her family of Atlanta chefs. Plus, authors Jonathan Franzen and Bill Buford return to finish the food fight they started on our last episode. Where do they land on Bouley and Boulud and is there such thing as too much butter?

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 Anthony Bourdain

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Segment 1

Anthony Bourdain

Anthony Bourdain, host of CNN's Parts Unknown, The Balvenie's Raw Craft video series, and author of the new cookbook, Appetites, admits he's a dysfunctional guy. He identifies with Ina Garten and still knows the meaning of whisky. Find out who's calling the shots in his kitchen these days and why, even with Champagne popping, he can't stand New Year's Eve.

Photo by Michael Halsband.

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 Alex & Maria Guarnaschelli

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Segment 2

Alex & Maria Guarnaschelli

Celebrity chef Alex Guarnaschelli's mom, Maria, is one of the most important cookbook editor in America. In this funny and revealing interview, the Guarnaschellis share Christmas memories, recipes and their favorite cookbooks (they own thousands). Maria claims she was a bad teacher, but have a pencil nearby, you'll want to take notes.

Photo by Michael Halsband.

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 Lela Rose & Massimo Bottura

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Segment 3

Lela Rose & Massimo Bottura

Fashion designer Lela Rose, aka Tequila Lela, throws the most spectacular dinner parties in New York City, featuring the best chefs in the world, wild auctions and a visit to an alcove built for drinking --what else? Tequila. We wrangled an invitation to the party of the year to learn how Lela does it. Hint: having Massimo Bottura in the kitchen helps.

Photo by Daniel Krieger.

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 Gail Simmons

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Segment 4

Gail Simmons

Gail Simmons, Top Chef judge and author of the memoir Talking with My Mouth Full: My Life as a Professional Eater, invites Eden Grinshpan into her Brooklyn duplex to talk Hanukkah recipes, Toronto Chinese restaurants and the dish she invented to pay homage to both. You heard it here first: #brisketfriedrice.

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 Franzen v.s. Buford Part 2

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Segment 5

Franzen v.s. Buford Part 2

Jonathan Franzen, novelist and bird-defender, debates Bill Buford, author and bird-eater, in part two of their food fight (check out Episode 8 for part one). This time Franzen takes on fabled Manhattan restaurants, using a short story about Christmas by German Nobel Prize winner Heinrich Böll as a cautionary tale.

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 Home for the holidays

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Segment 6

Home for the holidays

Going home for the holidays can stress you out; when you come from a long line of chefs and foodies, it can be recipe for disaster. Correspondent Rose Reid heads back to Atlanta for the first time in years, to prove something to her food-snob family--and to herself. Her weapon of choice? A 22 pound turkey.

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 Gail Simmons' Madeleine Moment

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Segment 7

Gail Simmons' Madeleine Moment

Gail Simmons was terrified by something she saw when she was nine-years old, in the middle of the night. Find out what it was, and why the Top Chef judge and author considers this memory a tribute to her mom, on Gail's Madeleine Moment.

EPISODE 9: HOLIDAYS

Podcast

07 December 2016

Anthony Bourdain visits the ghosts of Christmas future and present, and has a special message for the Anthony of the past. Celebrity chef Alex Guarnaschelli digs deep into family holiday triumphs and tumult with her mother, the legendary cookbook editor, Maria Guarnaschelli. Top Chef's Gail Simmons reveals which animal part prompts her Madeleine Moment and invites Eden Grinshpan home to discuss why Hanukkah and Chinese food go hand in hand. Howie Kahn goes to the dinner party of the year with fashion designer Lela Rose, chef Massimo Bottura and Edible Schoolyard NYC and then we head south as one correspondent decides to go home for the holidays for the first time in years in an attempt to outcook her family of Atlanta chefs. Plus, authors Jonathan Franzen and Bill Buford return to finish the food fight they started on our last episode. Where do they land on Bouley and Boulud and is there such thing as too much butter?